5 Kunming cafés where the décor is as memorable as the coffee

In the 2020 Chinese comedy film Coffee or Tea?, three young friends limp away from the pressures of city life in Beijing to a rural village in Yunnan, where they realize that the same soil that produces some of the best teas on the world can also produce incredible coffee beans. However, while their attempts at starting a coffee business are played for laughs, coffee has become serious business in Yunnan. Tea still rules the province, but the sudden boom of boutique cafés in Kunming over the past years is proof that coffee is shaping up to be a serious rival.

Unlike buzzy, big-city cafés where customers refill on coffee just to keep up with their hectic schedules, Kunming’s cafés retain the famous dolce vita attitude that Yunnan is known for. Here, baristas painstakingly craft cups of coffee, often with local beans and ingredients, for customers to savor in delightfully idiosyncratic surroundings. There are so many charming cafés in Kunming, especially in areas like Wuhua District near Cuihu Lake, it’s possible to suffer from choice overload. However, when it comes to both coffee quality, atmosphere, and aesthetics, any serious coffee lover has to visit at least a few of the ones below.

Zhuyincenjin

The serene Zhuyincenjin is almost a shock to the senses when you find it. You walk down a nondescript alleyway only to see it give way to an ancient-looking brick wall and gate, through which a serene Chinese-style garden magically appears right before your eyes. Grab one of their single origin coffees brewed with local beans and sit in the garden area to enjoy Yunnan’s “eternal spring” weather or lounge inside to enjoy the artwork by local artists. Zhuyincenjin is also a creative hub and hosts regular gallery shows and art events—you might walk away with a piece of art along with your caffeine fix. 40 Wenlin Street, Wuhua District; phone 0871-63323510

Guangzong No. 3

Don’t be surprised when the carefully chosen vintage details of Guangzong No. 3—a manual sewing machine used as a table, the lattice wall panels, exposed wooden beams—make you feel like you’ve been transported to the 1970s. It feels like you’re visiting the house of a relative with a delightfully eclectic taste in design, and it’s impossible not to stay for hours on the cozy rooftop terrace. However, Guangzong No. 3 is more than just a nostalgic setting: coffee is serious business here, and the talented baristas’ focus on making pour over coffee has earned them plenty of fans. Coffee beginners will especially appreciate their advice on different types of beans, including some of their rare bean selections. 3 Guangzong Lane along Wenlin Street, Wuhua District; phone: 0871-65338312

Page 28

It’s worth it to visit Page 28 just to have a conversation with owner Dongling, who considers the café a place where travelers and strangers can strike up unlikely friendships. The café has the bohemian-chic atmosphere of a creative hangout, with movies projected onto the walls at night as you enjoy one of their mojitos. Although the charming Dongling is one of the highlights of Page 28, the crisp, bright coffee makes for good competition. A must-try is the Canton Girl, a surprising and boozy blend of grapefruit, lemon, wine, and coffee. Anyone curious about the name of the café is also welcome to ask Dongling, who has a great story to tell about it. Unit 1, 8 Wenmiao Lane East, Wuhua District; phone: 13028873895

Balianghai

Another café known for its serious approach to coffee is Balianghai, whose mission isn’t just to serve high-quality Yunnan coffee roasted to their own specifications but to nurture a local coffee culture. Much like the characters in Coffee or Tea?, Balianghai’s founder is an architect from Beijing who moved to Yunnan to devote his life to coffee, and Balianghai’s farm-to-cup approach has helped pave the way for other boutique coffee businesses. Finding the café, which is tucked inside a residential building, is an adventure alone, but the reward is worth it. You’ll end up in a converted two-bedroom apartment that looks like it could be the set of a moody art film, drinking a cup of their fragrant lemongrass coffee as you flip through the extensive coffee bean menu. Shop 2, 42 Wenhua Lane by Wenlin Street, Wuhua District

Latosol Coffee

Although not in the Wuhua District ecosystem of cafés, Latosol Coffee on the third floor of the Latosol Hotel in Xishan District is the best place to soak in a vacation vibe with its dusky-red brick tiles, teak chairs and white-washed walls and high ceilings ribboned with windows that let in lots of soft, natural light. Thanks to the proliferation of lush plants—enough to make plant lovers green—Latosol Coffee feels like a chic greenhouse. It’s tough to choose between sitting indoors or outdoors to enjoy their rich Dirty Amber latte made with organic milk. The pleasant hotel staff will direct you to the café, but all you have to do is walk around to the side of the hotel where the café entrance is located and head straight to the rooftop. 54 Chunlei Lane, Jinmabiji Square, Xishan District; phone 0871-63550828

With all the choices available in Kunming, you’d have to make a huge effort to avoid a good cup of coffee and a lovely place to savor it.

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